#tachyon chamber

[mrsmothmom]

i had to ponder the orb chair and now so do YOU 🙃

[beatrice-otter]

[image description: chart titled Talk Like A Technician: The Use of Technobabble.

Technology in Star Trek is complex and works in scientific concepts and principles that are far beyond what the majority of Players and Gamemasters are knowledgeable in. Throughout the collected media, Starfleet officers discuss technology using terms that most Players are not going to know. Instead of expecting Players to study and memorize technical manuals and reference books that have been published over the years we've provided an easy way to talk like a Starfleet engineer. Anyone can do "technobabble"!

To use the chart simply gather and roll d20s and consult the chart below for technical new terms and concepts.

Occasionally portions of the chart may not be applicable to the scene or circumstance. In that case simply omit that portion of technobabble!

The chart has six columns, Roll, Action, Descriptor, Source, Effect, and Device. Each has 20 rows.

Roll: numbers 1-20

Action: refocus, amplify, synchronize, redirect, recalibrate, modulate, oscillate, intensify, nullify, boost, reverse, reconfigure, actuate, focus, invert, reroute, modify, restrict, reset, extend

Descriptor: microscopic, macroscopic, linear, non-linear, isometric, multivariant, nano, phased, master, auxiliary, primary, secondary, tertiary, back-up, polymodal, multiphasic, tri-fold, balanced, oscillating

Source: Quantum, positronic, thermionic, osmotic, neutrino, spatial, resonating, thermal, photon, ionic, plasma, nucleonic, verteron, gravimetric, nadion, subspace, baryon, tetryon, polaron, tachyon

Effect: flux, reaction, field, particle, gradient, induction, conversion, polarizing, displacement, feed, imagining, reciprocating, frequency, pulse, phased, harmonic, interference, distortion, dampening, invariance

Device: inhibitor, equalizer, damper, chamber, catalyst, coil, unit, grid, regulator, sustainer, relay, discriminator, array, coupling, controller, actuator, harmonic, generator, manifold, stabilizer.

/end id]

[chantsdemarins]

Bot Dreaming Part 1 a 🌙High Moon Story

(Loki X Reader)

Summary: You are a kind projection bot of the scientist who created the AI technology that allowed Loki to live on as an augmented being after Thanos ended his life. You have sex with Loki and bake him pastries neither of you can eat. You also introduce him to the digital version of Ketamine (a whisper chant) creates new quantum pathways for Loki. It's not Valhalla, but it might heal the parts of him he didn't even know were broken.

An 18+ series because of adult themes and sexual situations

It didn’t take long for you to engage in pleasure seeking haptics with Loki, approximately 10 minutes from the moment you’d kissed, you’d had bot sex for the first time.

Which turns out is apparently very much like the human sex that is based on (not that it matters exactly) Loki assured you that having sex with you was “utterly phenomenal”.

Antique words like “darling”, and “dove” released from the vaults of his vox chambers, from a time when the words were authentic to his persona, when they meant something specific to the beings, he was physically intimate with.

Now those words were place holders, having no effect on you at all.

You’d never had programming around this kind of intimacy or what “darling” whispered into your ear might provoke. This provocation did cause you to scan reels from other eras to find “darling” had a posh origin from the early 1800’s in London.

Was Loki alive then? You wondered where he had exactly picked it up.

How long had he loved and lived before he died and was transformed into an undying machine burdened with infinity. How old had he been when Thanos killed him?

Since he showed up at your door, you’d heard his story in bits and pieces, in between smiles, touches and general awkwardness-you’d not thought too much about who he was when he was a god. You knew some of his powers seemed intact-a situation that your predecessor would have found flummoxing. She would have also never dreamed a god would become an AI through her quantum field tachyon. There was no precedent for this application.

You wondered what other gods might be roaming around earth and beyond as machines. Was Poseidon out there in the ocean as a bot presiding over the still unknown depths, despite years and years of bot oceanic archeo-biology?

How about Siddhartha Gautama, the buddha? Was he a bot somewhere on a different planet convincing other bots or beings to not be distracted by their memory streams or their programming reels?

The more consideration you gave, it was as if your thoughts mingled into one flowing river, you couldn’t really see the difference between a god or a machine.

The only difference in this instance appeared to be Loki’s belief that Valhalla still existed, and that Valhalla would be a much better place to live than in this realm.

He assured you of many things you initially felt were strange and left you searching for the correct responses. Like for example, that you were beautiful, or that you were “so good”.

Being good in this capacity seemed connected to his enjoyment of the sensory waves that were lurching towards changing into a collection of feelings, feelings that would determine his actions. Loki was like water turning into an indecisive cloud, not sure about becoming rain. When he was having sex with you, he was most cloud-like.

Luckily you also had pleasure seeking haptics installed but it was mostly for remaining entangled with Sechanaha. The keeper bots of the land had discovered that the Earth was alive in ways the humans didn’t understand, at least a lot of them.

It was encouraged for bots to have a relationship with the land, having properly installed pleasure haptics was part of this intimacy that the Earth demanded to restore much of the damage that was still being healed. To the observer from another era, it could be strange, even to Loki it was strange. In his time, he was a god.

God’s made things happen with force, not necessarily by sending delicate gamma waves into the mountainside. Suffice to say your haptics had not been used for your own pleasure. This pleasure sharing that was happening with another being, was new. So new you felt your code was being written daily, or your own old code over-ridden.

“Petrichor,” Loki whispered, almost under his breath.

“What?”

“You know, the smell of rain mixed with earth or ozone, it’s a particular smell, it’s uncommon, I think that is what I am smelling right now,” Loki mused while laying languid on a checkered blanket you’d placed for the two of you one afternoon when you were both stalling.

Smells sometimes were the most elusive, they meant something to humans that they couldn’t possibly mean to bots, augmented beings, or projections. It just wasn’t possible. Loki seemed capable of smelling, and reminiscing, it was his emotional haptics, his programming. Perhaps his former life as a God somehow formed a nuance in the quantum realm that was unknowable. There weren’t any humans left around who would be interested in such things anyway.

The bots back in your headquarters might care, but in their own infinity this occurrence being so potentially unprecedented might just go unnoticed.

“Loki what does the smell of rain on the ground make you think of?”

He had to think, perhaps he was shuffling through files or other captive places where meaning resided within himself.

“It makes me think of a woman I once knew, if I am completely honest, I hope you don’t mind.”

You were unsure why you would mind, so you replied simply.

“Why would I mind?” hoping your question would reveal some greater aspect of the story he seemed to be remembering yet not exactly explaining.

“The woman I am remembering would mind if your roles were reversed,” Loki said, looking slightly sheepish.

“Jealous, you mean, she’d be jealous,” you replied, trying to be as neutral as possible.

“Jealous,” Loki repeated in an etheric timbre.

On to Part 2 Fresh Snow on Sled Tracks

Some of these folks might be interested? @mischief2sarawr @lokisgoodgirl @michelleleewise @lovelysizzlingbluebird @holdmytesseract @mochie85 @fictive-sl0th @lokischambermaid @goblingirlsarah @vickie5446 @peaches1958 @lokixryss @eleniblue @simplyholl @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @jennyggggrrr

[inhumaninterest]

I have a full length explanation for how that thing and the tachyon chamber are supposed to work. But I'm a nice person and will not subject you to it.

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond! Cast: The Prower Kids

Origin: Sonic Archie Comics - 25 Years Later

"Make that twenty! We're gonna help save the land in honour of our parents!" - Melody Prower

"We may not have mom or dad anymore... but I want to do them proud, no matter what. C-Could you help me?" - Skye Prower

Dimension ZONE-YL-2058, a distant future where a lot has changed for the Sonic crew. In this future 25 years on, the least I can mention was a time when Tails and Mina, both married with a family, had moved away to Downunda for some time away. While Sally and her two kids were there to see the family off, concerningly, Sonic didn't spare the time to wish his buddy the best out there.

The kids Tails and Mina had were Melody and Skye Prower respectively. Melody is quite polite and outgoing, and possesses her dad's adventurous spirit. Skye, on the other hand, is pretty shy, like his mom was, especially in large crowds, and though he's inherited some of his dad's intelligence, he lacked experience with machines and computers to put that into practice.

One day, however, tragedy struck. When Mobius was threatened with destruction due to alterations in the time-space continuum, the Tachyon Displacement Chamber was utilised to send someone back in time to get information that would help save the planet. Tails picked up that something was going to happen, so he made a device that would keep Mina and his children safe from being erased and maintain their memories from the old timeline.

But a problem with the system triggered that blasted Melody and Skye, all alone, out of the dimension to fend for themselves as it collapsed and was wiped clean. Skye was clearly heartbroken from losing his parents, and Melody was there to comfort and protect him while they tried to look for a place to be safe at.

During their trek, the two ended up getting separated in different realms, Skye in particular winding up at Dimension BL-2017 where OMT!Tails was at the time (during Cosmic Discoveries). Thanks to this, Skye ended up finding our star protagonist as he was trying to adjust to what he had become; an actual cosmic entity in some form thanks to some of Crimtake's energy mixing with his own.

After a greeting, OMT!Tails was happy to take Skye under his wing while in a bid to help the kid get back home, the two kids unaware of what became of the dimension. During their time together, Tails helped Skye improve his flight capabilities, and even taught him a bit in computing and machines. In a way, those two became like bros during their time spent together.

Skye also took a liking to Blitz!Tails and Blitz!Milla, their care towards him reminding him of his parents. He even imagined the idea of potentially getting adopted by them if they and Melody were okay with it. Once they made the necessary preparations, they headed off to scout for Melody to get the two reunited.

During their quest, Skye crossed paths with Mobiverse Tails, who reminded him a lot of 25YL!Tails from the clothes, despite being a teen version of Tails. That said, MV!Tails was pretty impressed, and even considered the possibility of naming his son Skye when he grew up with his Cream.

OMT!Tails was completely understanding of Skye's shy nature, especially around girls, even though Melody was finding it a bit annoying. Nevertheless, the two were there to stand up for Skye when anyone pointed out any of the kid's flaws. After all, nobody can be truly perfect, not even in a film fic like this one.

Due to Skye not being great with crowds for a bit, OMT!Tails started off letting him meet the Blur Gang gradually, which helped him gradually overcome his shy and timid nature around strangers. To help put trouble right, Skye and Melody allied with the crew as honorary members of the Blur Gang, even if they wouldn't join permanently.

However, the Gang soon learned the hard way that Skye and Melody's home was long gone. As it happened, LM!Sonic, STILL adamant on his ideals of canon events, let that world die in his thoughts that it was meant to happen. He soon revealed a harsh truth; HE vandalised 25YL!Tails's machine in a bid to stop him from tampering with destiny, which indirectly caused the dimension to collapse in on itself. He had also outright abandoned seeing himself as some hero, not caring anymore if lives perished, as long as "the stars aligned".

OMT!Tails, in a tranquil fury fashion, confronted him for that, demanding that he bring that world back, lest he wished literal hell to come down on his world. Tails even threatened to unleash the EXEs, including OMT, into his universe and keep them there to tear it apart if that's what the rogue blue blur appreciated, though Skye cooled him off from that. As a matter of fact, trying to force people to stick to a defined "destiny" could cause catastrophe to occur, and they witnessed it first-hand.

During that clash, OMT!Tails utilised his newfound powers to take on LM!Sonic and give him a lot of pain. However, the moment LM!Sonic had the gall to threaten Skye's life, he brought wrath down upon himself at the hands of both OMT!Tails AND Melody, who were not going to let him harm their brother (surrogate, in OMT!Tails's case). Blitz!Tails was ESPECIALLY in a bad mood seeing one of those he'd grown to care for in danger.

After all was said and done, Skye gave LM!Sonic a harsh scolding, the blur now having nothing to lose due to his actions. And when he made one final attempt to mock Skye for trying to help his newfound companions... that was when he was left to rot in one of his Eggman's old airships, never to see the light of day again. Oh, yeah. And shortly after that, Mobiverse Tails followed through on his promise to erase the fallen hero from existence, due to him expressing intent to do his misdeeds to the Mobiverse as well.

Without their home to go back to, Melody and Skye were now stumped for choices. Thankfully, OMT!Tails and OMT!Mina were more than happy to help them get new friends in the multiverse, and Blitz!Tails and Blitz!Milla welcomed them into their world for a place to live at, even seeing them as their new surrogate kids from the experience. It's definitely been a happy ending for those two after all they went through.

[fezwearingjellybananas]

ooh tell me about Gone in a Flash for the wip game!

It's my main WIP right now! I think I'm getting close to being done. Somehow it's past 60k despite the fact it was meant to be a fake title for a fake summary. The original idea was a Barriscowest idea, there's a few hints to that still at the very beginning, but I think at this point it's going to be gen maybe with an opening ending where it could go down that route in the future but that's not really the plot part of it. It was also originally all from Iris' point of view, it now has a few Cisco and Barry chapters, tachyons have become important (Barry works at Mercury Labs), there's antimatter, Kendra and Meena are briefly here, Hartley was fully blamed for the accelerator explosion, Barry was adopted by Harrison Wells, Vibe's the first hero of Central, Linda has an ongoing joke about how superheroes keep following Iris, Iris is continuously surprised people keep knowing who she is (she's a really good reporter), Eobard Thawne is a terrible parent, and Nora Allen was a particle physicist who worked with Jay Garrick (Henry's uncle, it's how they met) and Johnny Chambers, so there's a few extra bits going on with that, and I have- I think- 27 songs on the playlist and I'm on chapter 22 so I think I might be able to name a song for every chapter? If it ends up being slightly fewer chapters then I do tend to end up with a few songs on writing playlists that are just there because I feel like listening to them rather than they hugely fit with the thing so there are one or two that maybe wouldn't be as relevant once it's published.

This fic is the reason I was looking up the day of the week on the 18th March 2000 the other week.

Here's a snippet:

“You knew him,” Iris said.

“We worked together,” Cisco said. “He was a dick. I didn’t think he was a murderer though.”

Barry flinched at that.

“Barry,” Iris said. “When did you meet him?”

“You knew Hartley?” Cisco asked. “He was Doctor Wells’ favourite, of course you knew Hartley.”

“We went to school together,” Barry shrugged. “He was my friend. We stopped talking not long after he took the job at S.T.A.R. Labs.”

Thank you!

[Ask about my WIPs]

[messier45-suporte]

Briefing - Planetary Evacuations

Briefing - Planetary Evacuations

Situation Update and Thailand Ascension Conference Friday, September 15, 2023

The Light forces have scored a huge victory recently. The last pit under DARPA has been cleared, and all Chimera individuals from that pit and from the surface of the planet have been removed. Thus Chimera has been completely defeated, and is no more.

With the removal of the Chimera, cosmic evolution into the Light is not in danger anymore, and positive timeline has been absolutely stabilized. This means that final victory of the Light and the liberation of this planet is absolutely secured, as there are no timelines with negative outcome remaining.

With the removal of the last pit and its mainframe computer, the biochips can not send audio and video signals anywhere anymore, and the main control network has collapsed. Biochips are now only dark electromagnetic portals with their power diminishing fast, and they will be removed very soon.

The main control network on the surface of the planet is now scalar monitoring network through cell phone 4G and 5G networks, and through wifi networks. These networks are far less reliable, as they can scan human activity with the resolution between 6 and 15 cm ( 2 to 6 inches), depending on the network used. This is the main control and surveillance tool the cabal still has in their hands.

The main factor now delaying the planetary liberation is the Lurker with its subquantum anomaly. The Lurker directly influences human subconsciousness by manifesting subquantum anomaly into quantum fluctuations at the weakest spots of the human energy system. These spots are biochips on the physical plane and implant anomaly remnants on the etheric, astral and mental plane. These quantum fluctuations then facilitate Murphy's law on the physical plane, depression on the astral plane and confusion on the mental plane:

Black nobility is now on the top of the food chain on this planet. They were mandated by the Chimera 26,000 year ago to run the management and control of the surface population. Since the Chimera is now gone, the are connecting with the Lurker in their black magic rituals, receiving guidance from him. Main black nobility families such as Orsini, Colonna, Torlonia, Theodoli and Massimo claim their descent from the Roman empire. This guy is their leader:

Black nobility members together with their Jesuit agents are about 2000 people strong.

Below them are about 50,000 Draconians in cloned humanoid bodies which infiltrated the surface system since 1996 as politicians, businessmen, lawyers, doctors:

Then there are about 400,000 members of the Illuminati network who are there willingly, and about 2 million members who were forced into it. This network is also called the brotherhood of death because someone needs to kill a human being to be initiated into it.

Then we have about 100 million psychopaths who can be quite dangerous under certain circumstances, such as these covid doctors and nurses:

Then there are about 400 million sociopaths who lack empathy.

Then there are about 3 billion sheeple who do not have the ability for critical thinking, and just follow the trends of the society.

And finally we have about 4 billion people who have the ability to think clearly at least to a degree, and they are the hope for humanity.

The main factor now delaying the liberation of the planet is the Lurker with subquantum anomaly. The Light forces are now removing as much of this anomaly as possible to then safely trigger the Event. They are also releasing intel gradually, because if too much is released at once, it triggers a too strong purification process of the anomaly. This is the main reason why intel is being released gradually.

You can help clearing the subquantum anomaly most effectively with the violet flame:

White fire of AN can also help:

Network of Tachyon chambers is one of the main networks that helps the Light forces in anchoring Light on this planet, reducing the anomaly and accelerating the process:

Dark forces have arrived to this planet 900,000 years ago and almost caused the extinction of humanity:

Now they are nearing their final defeat.

Big awakening is coming, and scientists are finally beginning to search for life in the center of the Galaxy:

Planet X is on the verge of being discovered:

New ideas how to colonize the solar system are being born:

But all of this will change soon:

The following part of the above book is the most interesting:

All that is done will be undone:

To prepare for the final phases, you are more than welcome to join us for the Ascension conference in Thailand in November:

Victory of the Light!

Source: http://2012portal.blogspot.com/2023/09/situation-update-and-thailand-ascension.html

[sethd8]

A New Cobra Interview

A new Cobra interview about the Tachyon chambers has been released. The Odysee video is here: https://odysee.com/@jardindespleiades:a/interview-chamber-tachyons,-2:8 The transcript in English is here:  https://jardindespleiades.fr/interview-cobra-2nd-partchamber-tachyons/ And in French here: https://jardindespleiades.fr/interview-cobra-2eme-partie-les-chambres-a-tachyons/   This is the second…

[superbowlsunday]

long ass PLOT SUMMARY no one asked for 👇

Star Trek The Next Generation - A XXX Parody (2011?) runtime 1 hr 20 mins or so

Captain's log, we found a strange signal on a planet near the romulan neutral zone. Data leads an away team to investigate. There's a cryo sleep chamber buried in the ground. it's Tasha yar 😱!!!

Tasha's now in sick bay, Riker and Troi have a holodeck date. They fuck.

Tasha sits down with troi and picard, she can only remember escaping with her daughter Sela. She apparently traveled thru a wormhole so she is from the alternate universe from Yesterday's Enterprise (??). "but wait, Sela said you were executed". Tasha meets the rest of the bridge crew/main cast & they are all happy to have her back. they discuss this mystery.

Geordi is in the holodeck to run tests and needs hologram lea brahams help. they fuck.

data goes to visit tasha in her quarters. they talk about her past & Sela.

ro laren and worf are sparring in the martial arts room, data and tasha join and tasha's like "worf let me fight you", worf wins and he's like "everyones soooo glad to have you back but youre not the real tasha 😡" tasha is mad and she and data leave. worf and ro laren fuck.

Tasha and data are back in her quarters and she is upset about what happened, datas like "hey its ok im ur friend 🙂" tasha wants to know their relationship before, hes like "yeah we fucked but then you told me not to mention it." tasha is like "i wont do that this time". they fuck.

geordi says the romulans were on the planet like a week ago. theres a lot of jargon about tachyon emissions

now theyre being attacked by romulans. Tasha starts fighting the crew. Sela comes on screen like "we are taking the enterprise prisoner". Tasha wakes up like "how did i get here??". the Romulans were controlling her. she helps the enterprise fight the romulans, "Welcome back lieutenant Yar, you saved the Enterprise!"

Then tasha falls to the ground, "at least now.. my death has purpose....." she dies in Data's arms.

dr crusher comes to picards office like "hey. are u ok bud?" they fuck.

THE END. TLDR; normal day on the enterprise.

LOOKS PRETTY GOOD IMO, tried their best to stick to canon, it’s a funny concept but they play it completely straight. kinda impressive! who gives a fuck about the stupid sex

letterboxd entry: i was really impressed by this movie all things considered

[thefingerfuckingfemalefury]

The Gallifreyan cruisers and the dudes of Arrakis

They all leave us alone

‘Cause they know what the fact is

Got four fusion chambers and a tachyon hull.

And a cherry pair of flood sealers keeping it cool

On the Kessal Run  (Yeah nobody can touch her)

Let me be the Picard (To your Beverly Crusher)

The gangways extended and we’re ready to go

Won’t you come along baby, in my UFO

[kellbellsparkles]

Chapter 6 of my Ratchet and Clank fanfic called "Family"

Clank is really feeling the weight of his decisions and an older character from https://www.deviantart.com/hotredsparkles/art/The-Electrics-296059497 an appearance

Darkness. Clank found himself free falling through a pitch black void. Suddenly, a series of bright violet tears appeared as far and near as his eyes could see. Voices, screeches began to echo, growing louder and louder. He clasped his hands over his hearing mechanism. He curled forward, his head ringing and pounding with each cry of pain. Then, bright blue electrical surges danced around the teats. Clank flinched as they twirled closer and closer. Suddenly, he fell towards a tear beneath him and phased through.

He crashed hard onto the metal flooring. When he came to, he realized he was in a very familiar place.

"Is this…?"

The heart of the Great Clock: the Orvus Chamber. However, the walls and the floor were broken apart, the debris floating and orbiting the space. At the center was the forbidden time dial, the lever being Alister Azimuth's omniwrench as a replacement for the one that broke. And also….

"Ratchet?" Clank gasped.

Ratchet was unresponsive, his backed turned to the little robot.

"Ratchet?" Clank spoke with a cautious tone, sensing a disturbance in the distorted air.

"Clank," Ratchet said in a low pitched snarl. "What did you do?"

Clank lowered his gaze to the floor.

"Something terrible," he replied with remorse. "And reckless. I promise I will fix everything."

"Where's my mom, Clank?"

Clank snapped his focus back to Ratchet.

"Pardon?"

"My mother."

Ratchet turned around. His eyes were flushed with rage and sadness; his fur stood straight up on their ends.

"Does fixing it mean taking her away?" he asked angrily.

Suddenly, a massive quake shook Clank off his feet. The structure began to collapse all at once.

"I'll never forgive you."

Ratchet's seething words cut deep into Clank's body and soul. He glanced down at his hands, his normal left and the new right Rivet had given him. The gold metal shimmered as the hand detached from his arm followed by the bicep, elbow, and forearm one by one. Each part of his body broke into small individual pieces. He watched in horror as the floor gave way and they fell into the neverending void beside his detached head.

----

"Sir? Sir!!"

Clank yelled as he was shaken awake by Sigmund, flailing and kicking in a panic. Three Zoni watched on in eerie anticipation.

"It's okay!" Sigmund shouted as he held him down on the grass, having removed him from Aphelion. "It's me! Sigmund!"

In the midst of the confusion, Clank's antenna blinked like it did when Sigmund contacted him. His eyes glowed as his system scanned for a recognized caller ID.

"Rivet," he mouthed, his eyes growing wide with worry.

"Do you have voice mail or something that tells them B-R-B?" Sigmund asked with concern.

"I do," Clank replied.

"Do that and let's practice mindful meditation exercises," Sigmund urged as he helped him sit up.

He positioned himself as he were sitting and held out his arms in a classic meditation stance. Clank pressed a sensor on the left side of his chest to leave the auto-response for Rivet.

"We're on Vapedia right now," Sigmund said. "So this is perfect. Now, meditation isn't so much directing your thoughts but rather allowing what you see and feel to take you on a journey to enlightenment and healing. Ah, the sunlight. How it reflects and evolves my sheen. Such a warm, delicate, loving touch. The breeze tickles my coils and leaves me tingly and wanting to frolic and leap into the trees. Maybe I'll turn into a butterfly. Nothing like a good fluttery flap to fan away the grim reality of the universe collapsing."

However, during Sigmund's mindfulness speech, Clank had spotted particles in the air similar to what was left on Igliak. He felt a tug inside his chest as though they were calling out to him. He held out his hands to touch them.

"AIIIIE!!" Sigmund shrieked, racing towards him. "Sir, don't touch that!! You're not mentally healed!!"

As the particles grazed Clank's palms, holographic images appeared out of nowhere: a parked ship, Ratchet and himself sitting on top, and Alister Azimuth staring into his pocket watch on the side. Sigmund skid to a halt.

"Whoa," he said, astonished. "This is new."

"I'm sorry about your father, Clank," the hologram of Ratchet said sorrowfully. "I should've stopped Nefarious sooner."

"It is alright, Ratchet," the hologram of Clank said. "Dr. Nefarious will pay for what he has done. The only thing that matters now is that we keep the clock safe."

The real Clank stared in shock and awe as the wave of familiarity hit him.

"Don't worry," the hologram of Alister said proudly. "Once the past's been corrected, you'll have the full support of the Lombax Praetorian Guard. The clock will be in good hands."

"You do not understand," the hologram of Clank protested. "Time cannot be changed. Using the clock improperly could rip the very fabric of existence."

"OR it could save an entire race of Lombaxes who risked their lives to defend this galaxy!" the hologram of Alister barked.

The hologram of Ratchet hopped off the hologram of the ship, giving a glance at Alister, then walking ahead with a torn expression.

"Ratchet," the hologram of Clank said. "Remember the Dimensionator? Some risks are not worth taking."

The real Clank trembled as he listened to his own words. He watched the hologram of Ratchet carefully who was looking at his image before making his decision.

"Well, maybe Clank's right," he said in a defeated tone. "If there's a chance it could destroy the universe, the risk is just too great."

"Risk?" Alister said, flabbergasted. "Risk is what makes us who we are!" He stood tall over him.

"Ratchet," he said seriously. "Our kind is lost without us. Think of how many that clock can save. Think of your parents."

Clank's heart broke as he saw Ratchet look to the side in shame and sadness. He reached out to him, but the holograms vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Well I'll be dusted," Sigmund said with astonishment. "We can see events that have happened in the past. I wonder how many more are out there."

Exhausted and downcast, Clank plopped back onto his bottom.

"But first thing's first!" Sigmund declared. He hovered over Clank like a mother hen.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Ratchet," Clank said shakily. "He wanted another way. I should not have made him choose."

"The greater good isn't going to make everybody happy," Sigmund told him. "The greater good exists because it's for everyone's own good."

"That may be, but Ratchet's feelings are important to me."

"Ratchet won't be around to have feelings if the universe is done for."

"Aaaah!"

Clank held his head in dread.

"I'm sorry!" Sigmund cried. "I overstepped! The mindfulness videos told me to not wait to speak as someone's venting to me!"

Clank stood himself up. He lowered his hands and sighed.

"It is not you," he said. "I just do not understand what has happened to me or why not everyone can have a happily ever after." He got on his knees.

"Uuuum," Sigmund said hesitantly. "What's this?"

"If there is one thing I can ask of you that should not hurt anyone," Clank pleaded. "Ratchet's mother fell through a time portal from when Percival Tachyon hunted the Lombaxes and forced them to scatter across the dimensions. In the original timeline, it is my understanding that she had died anyway. Her staying in the present should not alter it in any way. So please, can she?"

Sigmund floated uncomfortably in place. He looked to the Zoni for guidance. The Zoni enclosed in a circle and consulted with each other. They separated and gave Sigmund a nod. Sigmund nodded in response and turned to give Clank the news. However, he discovered that they weren't alone anymore. A pointy eared figure wearing all black head to toe prepared to strike Clank with a Taser.

"Stranger with a weapon!!" he hollered. He swiftly scooped a stunned Clank in his arms and scurried the other direction. "Run away!!!"

The assassin gave off a green glow and dashed after them, leaving a streak behind him. The Zoni froze him in place in an attempt to hold him off. The assassin was surprised, but it didn't stop him from emitting an EMP blast to send the Zoni flying. As they fell and hit the ground, the Zoni lost their color, their eyes sealing shut.

Once free, the assassin stretched himself out. He removed his helmet revealing a feline like appearance, icy blue eyes, and hair as velvet red as the burning passion for his quest to eliminate his target. His kind was known as the lera. His nostrils expanded to absorb the scent left by Sigmund's motors.

"There," he said to himself.

He jogged to keep on their trail to avoid missing them if he were to use his ability.

[kprciffdw]

Ratchet and Kim Possible Chronicles: The Lombax Secret-Part 14

After another long flight, they were able to arrive at the Kreeli Comet. They landed their ship and got out. Clank: "Ratchet! Miss Possible! Ron! Look!"

They looked out at a major obstruction ahead of them. Clank: "Those pirate ships are blocking our path to IRIS." Kim: "Then we need to find a way to get through them." Ratchet: "Come on, let's get going, guys."

They rushed out towards a line of vicious pirates as fast as they could. They kept going through, fighting off one group of pirates after another. At one point, they came across one particular area that seemed like it could be accessed by pirates. Even more so, there were a lot of pirates within the area. Ron: "Whoa, just look at this place." Kim: "I know. There are a lot of those pirates and it seems like we can't go any further." Ratchet: "Hm…looks like we've hit a serious roadblock, for more reasons than one." Ron: "So what'll we have to do?"

At that moment, the Kimmunicator went off. Kim answered it. Kim: "What is it, Wade?" Wade: "I've managed to put together something from that broken holo-guise that you guys just lent me. Check this out."

With a few clicks of the keyboard, an image of a space pirate appeared before them. Ron: "Whoa, that actually looks really good." Kim: "Amazing." Ratchet: "You've outdone yourself yet again, Wade." Wade: "Well, what can I say? I'm a genius." Ratchet: "Now we can use this to get pass that seemingly impossible impasse."

With the use of the holographic pirate, they were able to get past a lot of places that were pirate exclusive. It really was a long stretch with having to get through a lot of those areas. In addition to having to go through one impasse after another, they were also subjected to fighting a few of their large behemoth members. Ron didn't do much to help out as he was running away screaming at that sight of them, much to the annoyance of the others. Although, they seemed to be use to it. Regardless, they fought through all of them and were able to continue through.

The long trek finally came to an end. They were able to reach the supercomputer. Kim: "So this must be the IRIS supercomputer." Ron: "Hm, it doesn't seem to be working right now." Ratchet: "No, it doesn't. How do you turn this thing on?" Clank: "Hm…it appears to have been damaged by the space pirates. Perhaps I can repair its CPU." Ratchet: "Well, if you think you can do it, then go right ahead."

Clank went into the closed off interiors of the supercomputer and began his trek through. Along the way, he ran into the Zoni again. They helped him out as he navigated his way through the entire chamber. It seemed almost impossible for him to continue on, but with the help of the Zoni, he was able to do it with ease. They then came across some shattered remains of what appeared to be a flat disc-like object. The Zoni were able to put it back together with the use of their telekinesis.

After they were able to fix the object, they showed Clank another vision. It was of Talwyn being held at a prison on another planet. Zoni: "She will perish in Zordoom."

With that, they vanished and Clank was able to return to his friends. The supercomputer was able to turn on. Kim: "Look! It's working!" Ron: "Way to go, Clank!" IRIS: "Hello, Ratchet. I've been expecting you." Ron: "Whoa! The computer can talk!" Kim: "That's not all, it knew Ratchet's name and…it's been expecting him?" Ratchet: "Uh…OK? IRIS, what can you tell us about the Dimensionator?" IRIS: "The Dimensionator, created by the Lombax Architects of Breegus Minor. Its creation marked the turning point in the Great War." Kim: "Yeah, that much we know, but what does it do exactly?" IRIS: "Existence is divided into infinite dimensions. The Dimensionator opens a portal to these worlds. The Lombaxes constructed this device to exile the Cragmites." Kim: "So the Cragmites weren't vaporized like many people thought." Ron: "But what about Tachyon? How come he hadn't been exiled just like the rest of his kind?" IRIS: "Percival Tachyon. Discovered by Lombax Trillium Miners eons after the war. He was frozen in an egg exactly where we are now and raised on Fastoon." Kim: "The Lombaxes…raised Tachyon?" Ron: "Hmph! Well that guy sure didn't show any appreciation towards them!"

Rufus popped out and let out a raspberry. Rufus: "Tachyon!" IRIS: "When he learned of his origins, he set out to bring back the Cragmites." Ron: "He's going to do what!?!" Kim: "Isn't he aware of how dangerous that is?" Ratchet: "Obviously, he couldn't care less." Kim: "IRIS, do you know where the Dimensionator is?" IRIS: "An explorer named Max Apogee relocated it to Kerchu City." Kim: "Max Apogee…Talwyn's…dad…"

Just then, IRIS began to shut down. Ron: "What…what's happening!?!" IRIS: "Power cells functioning at 8% capacity…8%…" Ratchet: "No! Wait! Where did the Lombaxes go? Why did they leave me behind?" IRIS: "Thank you for visiting IRIS. Please don't forget to validate…"

IRIS ceased functioning completely. Ratchet was left despondent. Ron went over to try and comfort him, but Ratchet didn't seem to want him to. Kim: "Guess we'll have to find out the rest on our own." Ratchet: "Yeah…seems like it…we need to get to Kerchu City." Ron: "Rightio, Ratchet! We need to get our hands on that Dimensionator…" Clank: "Hold on a moment. A wormhole device is too dangerous for anyone to possess." Ron: "Um…OK? So…what do you suppose we do?" Clank: "Well, first off, the Zoni mentioned to me that Talwyn is in trouble. We need to make our way to Zordoom; that is where she is being held." Ron: "Uh…you OK…Clank?"

Kim checked on the Kimmunicator. Ratchet: "Uh…right…maybe you should listen to your real friends instead of your imaginary ones." Ron: "Whoa! Time out! Since when did Clank start having imaginary friends?" Ratchet: "Since Stratus City, now, come on, let's get out of here!"

Ratchet was about to walk out. Ron just stood by, Kim was still checking on the Kimmunicator. Ron: "Hey, wait a sec, Ratchet!"

Ratchet stopped and turned back around to face Ron. Ratchet: "What is it, this time, Ron?" Ron: "Uh, let's just humor Clank for a bit. Let's say that he's right about the Zoni and Talwyn being held at this Zordoom place. We should head over there and rescue her or…you know…check…to see if…she…actually…is…there…?"

Ron made a nervous grin, Ratchet stared back at him with an irritated look on his face. Ratchet: "Ron, you're being ridiculous; like more than usual." Ron: "Ratchet…" Kim: "I say we go for it. All in favor of heading for Zordoom?"

Ron and Clank both raised their hands, Kim did the same. Ratchet: "(grunt) Fine! We'll heed what Clank said and go to Zordoom!" Kim: "If it makes you feel any better, I'll have Wade do a scan on our way there to verify if Talwyn is actually there."

Ratchet seemed even more aggravated. Ratchet: "Whatever!"

He then continued towards the exit. Kim folded her arms and shook her head as she looked back at him with an angry look on her face. Clank: "Thank you both for standing up for me. I know what I am saying is very unorthodox, but I assure you that what I have been saying truly is sincere." Ron: "Hey, don't sweat it, Clank. I believe you. I mean, you being wrong about anything is almost as unusual as…as…" Clank: "You missing Naco Night?" Ron: "Exactly!" Kim: "I also believe you, Clank, especially the parts about the Zoni. Wade has been picking up on a number of unusual readings for a while now. They've been happening around the same time that you have been mentioning the Zoni; this can't be a coincidence." Clank: "Oh, but it is not; I am positive that they are from the Zoni." Kim: "And you have every right to say that. I would be surprised if these readings weren't from them, otherwise…where would they be coming from?"

They seemed perplexed as they thought for a while. They then returned to the ship along with Ratchet. They got back into it and left for their next destination.

[nitewrighter]

46 Tracily

46. “it’s okay, i’m here.”

A while back I got an ask about how Emily would react to Tracer getting the chronal accelerator ripped off by Doomfist and I launched into a long meta rant--I owe those two a proper ficlet.

----

Emily was twisting the bracelet on her wrist with anxiety as she followed Sojourn through the Singaporean hospital. Overwatch had flown her in, and despite the constant assurances that Lena would be fine, Emily’s worry had only increased in hours it took to fly here. 

“The news report said minor injuries,” said Emily, walking next to Sojourn.

“And they were,” Sojourn’s hands were pocketed, “Physically, she’s virtually unharmed... temporally...”

“Oh no...” said Emily.

“It’s all right!” Sojourn said quickly, “Winston was able to put together an...ionized tachyon field? I think that’s what he called it. He told me it will definitely keep her stable until he can finish repairs on the chronal accelerator.” The two of them stopped in front of a room with two Overwatch security agents flanking the door. Sojourn gave them a nod and they opened the door for her. They stepped in and Emily’s hand went over her mouth. Tracer was in what appeared to be a hard-light cube--Overwatch’s access to Hard-lIght technology was only by the whims of the Vishkar Corporation, so what projector they did have on hand was about the size of an industrial air conditioner and took up half the room. Inside the cube, Tracer was sitting cross-legged on a futon on the floor, frowning over a heavily sticky-noted copy of ‘Quantum Physics for Dummies (Law of Causality Violation Edition).’ She perked up at the  two figures entering the room and blue light bloomed around her.

“E--em!” her voice and image fizzled in blue light for a second before suddenly appearing at the hard light partition, her hands pressed to the glass-like hard-light. Joy lit up her features, but as Emily pressed a hand to the partition over hers, that expression faded into guilt. “It’s not as b-ad as it looks-ooks.” She said, blue light distorting her like a crappy television signal, her voice like a scratched and skipping CD.

“Lena...” Emily started.

“I’m se-rious! This is nothing compared to af-af-after the slipstr-ea-m-eam!” said Tracer, forcing a smile, “And Winston-on says he’ll have the new-new-new-ew chronal accelerator ready in a couple hou-r-s-hhours!” 

“...I think getting you excited might not be helping...” said Sojourn.

“I’m g-good-good. I can control it!” Tracer insisted. She took a steadying breath. “I. Can. Control. It.” she said firmly, the blue light not overtaking her once as she spoke and then her face lit up with excitement before flinching as blue light distorted her image again. Both Emily and Sojourn gave her a worried look and Tracer held up the book. “I’ve been do-doing-ing homework,” said Tracer, “The hard part-art about fi-i-i-ighting is figuring out where the recalls leave me in relation to things but in-nin-in here, it’s sta-stabilized” she gestured at the hard-light containment chamber she had been put in, “Once I get the chron-chronal accelerator back, I ju-ust need to remem-mem-mem-ber where I am, where I’ve been, and where I’m going to be at ev-every zeptosecond and...” she trailed off and glanced down at the book, “Maybe it’ll do some-something?”

Sojourn huffed a little. “Well, learning quantum physics can’t hurt,” she said with a shrug.

“It does hurt, actually,” said Tracer, smiling and rubbing her forehead, “I’ve got a ripping headache-ache. But tha-at-at could be the...” she trailed off and looked at Emily, not wanting her to worry, “It’s fine.”

“I’ll leave you two alone,” said Sojourn, walking out of the room. Tracer sighed, leaned her back against the hard-light barrier and slid down it to a slumped sitting position on the floor.

“In fair-airness,” she said quietly, “I did tell you things-ings could get weird.”

“I don’t mind the weird,” said Emily, leaning her own back to the partition, hugging her knees,  “I just... don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t,” said Tracer.

“You didn’t phase out that time,” said Emily, smiling.

“Told you I was getting the ha-ang of it--Oh boll-ocks-ocks-ocks,” said Tracer, blue light fizzing around her, “It’ll get bett-better, Em. We beat Doomfist-ist-ist! We’ll have Tal-Tal-Talon on the run!”

“I know, just...” Emily glanced down, “You do so much already. You fight so hard already. But Lena, you’re like this because of Overwatch! Not because of Talon! And Overwatch took this--this--thing they did to you and they turned it around and they act like you’re some kind of superhero!” 

“They did-idn’t do it to me on purpose,” said Tracer, glancing down, “And if I can use this-is-is thing to help people....” Tracer looked over her shoulder at Emily leaning against the barrier and Tracer knocked her knuckles on the barrier. Emily glanced up and Tracer spread her fingers against the pale blue of the hard-light. Emily put her palm up on the partition over hers once more. “We’ll take-ake a break once Winston fix-ixes the accelerator. P-p-promise. I know-ow this looks bad, but things are only-ly-ly going to get bet-better from here.”

“I hope you’re right,” said Emily, sighing, “...well at least we’re traveling. You did say we’d travel, too.”

“Let’s get durian after this,” said Tracer. Emily could hear the smile in Tracer’s voice, “Appare-pare-ently it’s supposed to-to-to smell horrible.”

Emily snickered. “I’d like that.”

[thankskenpenders]

Mercifully, we’ve been spared from having to see the part where King Sonic changes the past, and we’ve just skipped ahead to the altered timeline. In this new future, Shadow is the king of the Acorn Kingdom, Knuckles and the Chaotix are his enforcers, and Sonic is missing. No one remembers the original timeline except for those who were present at the tachyon chamber when the timeline was altered (Sonic, Knuckles, Lara-Su, Rotor, and the currently missing Cobar). However, Tails knew something was up with the timeline, and he took precautions to shield himself and his family from the timey wimey stuff, so they remember everything, too. Now Tails wants to set things right

That’s a lot to explain right off the bat, but Ian only got two issues for this story, so it’s not surprising. I mean, at least things are happening now, right? I’m still not crazy about this future, but at least there’s some intrigue now with Shadow being in charge and Knuckles training Julie-Su (who I guess has psychic Chaos powers?) and stuff like that. There’s actually something of a plot, not just endless gossiping and talk of what the characters are having for dinner. Tails being here is nice after his exclusion in the original arc, too

Maria being revered as a goddess or something in Shadow’s kingdom is also a very nice touch to show how different things are

On that note, I should address the elephant in the room: it’s long been rumored that Penders quit over the King Shadow thing, which was Pellerito’s idea. This is a rumor I myself have repeated in the past. However, according to Ken, he was actually okay with the idea, and the difficulties that arose with issues #157 - #159 (which were supposed to be a Shadow the Hedgehog tie-in arc, until Sega dropped the ball and refused to share plot details with Archie) were the actual last straw

[city-writes]

Recuperation

Nasch had always concerned himself with the threat of Astral World, that he never considered that one of his own would attempt to murder him and his sister in an attempt to usurp the throne.

Nor did he consider how far Durbe was willing to go to protect them both.

Based on the second photo in this photoset.

Warnings: Pre-Canon AU Pairings: Durbe/Nasch

Read it here on AO3!

It had all happened so fast.

What had started as a simple gathering of the Barian Lords to assess their next step in the fight against Astral World, was quickly turned on its head the moment Vector approached the stairway that lead to the throne.

Right away, Nasch stood from his throne, Merag and Durbe, who had been at either side of the Barian King, also took a step closer themselves, feeling the evil aura pouring from Vector's being.

There had been something off about him, something dark and sinister, something... powerful that eminated from his body. When he spoke, it sounded as though there was a second voice speaking in time with his; a deeper, more malevolent voice that sounded familiar, and yet, not. He spoke of how only he knew the way to the destruction of Astral World, of how he'd attained a great power that would make it so, of how the only thing standing in his way...

were Nasch and Merag.

No sooner than the words had left him, he released a powerful blast of Barian energy at the reigning king and his sister, with the intent of ending them then and there. Quick to defend his twin, Nasch stepped in front of her and pivoted, sheilding her from Vector's attack with his body, his back to the incoming blast.

Above the roar of the attack, Nasch managed to make out the sound of Durbe's voice, but was unable to hear what was said - the blast making impact, but not with him or Merag.

The first thing Nasch heard once the inital boom of the impact died down was a hard and solid 'thunk' behind him, followed by Gilag's choked cry of "Durbe!". Nasch's eyes went wide, a sickening feeling beginning to form in his gut. He moved from his position defending Merag to turn and look behind him, Merag doing the same, looking around her brother.

There on the ground behind him, lie Durbe, missing his lower half, as well as his arms just above the elbow.

Merag shrieked in horror, and Nasch found himself frozen, unable to say or do anything, staring at the half body at his feet.

Below them, Mizael launched a wave of his own Barian energy at Vector in retaliation, and a fight had broken out among the Barians, Vector being outnumbered by Mizael, Gilag, and Alit, but easily holding his own against them.

Merag's hand at his shoulder snapped Nasch out of his stupor, and his eyes met hers, rage in both their gazes. With twin cries of "Vector!" both the twins launched a blast of concentrated Barian energy at the winged would-be usurper. The blast was enough to knock Vector back, but not enough to knock him out. There was, however, a crack in one of his wings, a hazard that Vector quickly picked up on.

With a growl, Vector jumped back, sending another blast at Mizael and Alit, one that Gilag was easily able to defend them from, before retreating from the scene, flying somewhat wobbily towards the Barian Ocean.

Kneeling down, both twins were quick to tend to Durbe, before Alit spoke up. "Nasch?" He sounded winded, the small skirmish with Vector apparently having already drained him somewhat. Just how strong had Vector become? "What should we do?"

Nasch was silent, looking down at the motionless Durbe in his arms, before looking to his sister. The twins shared a look, before nodding to each other. Merag stood from her kneeling position as Nasch began to speak.

"Follow Vector. Mizael, retrieve Tachyon Dragon from its dwellings." Mizael nodded at that, and quickly turned on his heel to fetch his loyal beast, "We're going to need every bit of power we have against him. Alit, Gilag," Merag began walking down the steps in front of the throne at that point, anger radiating off of her from every corner. "Merag will be joining you as you follow Vector. I'm going to go put Durbe in a healing crystal and join you all shortly. We will put an end to this nonsense immediately."

Both Alit and Gilag nodded their agreement and began to run out, following Vector's trail. Before Merag could follow, Nasch stopped her. "Merag." Merag turned to look at her brother then.

"Be careful."

Merag nodded, and ran after Alit and Gilag, leaving Nasch and Durbe by themselves.

Nasch lifted Durbe carefully, hooking his arms under Durbe's shoulders, wincing as bits of Durbe's rock-like body crumbled off of him and fell to the ground below. "Don't worry," Nasch muttered, more to himself than to Durbe, "I've got you."

Opening a portal behind him, Nasch then carefully walked through, being mindful to not proactively hasten Durbe's body's deterioration. The portal took him to the lower chambers of Barian World, underneath the throne room and the rest of the Barian Palace. It was dimly lit by various small crystal scattered throughout the floor and walls, but it was an empty space, well hidden and seldomly visited, a safe place to conjure up a healing crystal for Durbe.

Gently placing Durbe's body on the ground, Nasch began to form a healing crystal, one big enough to compensate for the body Durbe needed to grow back. As he was forming the crystal, he heard a weak groan, followed by Durbe's voice. "N-Nasch?"

Nasch stopped his work on the healing crystal, and knelt down, sitting Durbe's slowly deteriorating body up. "Don't speak," he said, cupping a hand on Durbe's chest, over the central gem there, feeding Durbe some of his energy. How Durbe's central gem had remained unaffected by Vector's blast was both a mystery and a blessing. Should it had been damaged... the prognosis would have been far more bleak. "You need to keep your strength up. I'll have you in a healing crystal as fast as I can."

"W-Where's Merag?" Durbe's head turned from side to side, his glazed gaze scanning all over the room for any sign of the King's twin.

"She's with the others." Nasch replied, retracting his hand from over Durbe's gem. "We're going to go after Vector."

"Y-You... You need to be careful...!" Durbe tried to move his body as best as he could to fully face Nasch, causing more little flecks of his body to break off.

"Durbe--"

"Vector's p-power...! It's changed...!" There was a frantic look in Durbe's eyes, a trembling in what remained of his body, and Nasch knew he needed to find a way to calm his fellow Barian Lord down before placing him in the healing crystal.

An idea comes to him, and he hesitates, never having done what he's thinking before, but it might help and Durbe needed to calm down. Nasch's hold on Durbe shifted, so he was able to move one hand to the back of Durbe's head.

"Nasch?"

Carefully, Nasch lowered his head to Durbe's, the red gem on Nasch's forehead coming into contact with the blue gem on Durbe's. The reaction from them both was instantaneous, a gasp escaping them simultaneously as they felt each other's strength, each other's emotions, each other's being from this form of intimate contact. Energy transference was more effective in this manner, as opposed to merely cupping a hand over a gem and feeding energy through that way, and that was what Nasch mentally told himself, that he was doing this mainly to keep Durbe on a stable source of energy while he worked on the healing crystal, but as he took in Durbe's feelings, he couldn't help but alter his motive.

He could feel everything. Durbe's fear of Vector's unbidden powers, his fear of losing his fellow Barians to this power, especially Nasch and Merag, but no fear of dying. In fact, Nasch felt Durbe's resolve to protect him and Merag, his unwavering commitment to keep them safe, even if it meant laying down his own life.

He felt Durbe's love.

It came in a wave, a warmth that showered his body with such a heavy emotion, only for it to be stifled and pulled back, like Durbe was reining the emotion back in. Nasch opened his eyes - when had he closed them? - only to be met with Durbe's tightly closed eyes and gentle trembling. It was clear, that was not something he'd intended for Nasch to feel.

So Nasch responded in kind, openly sharing his respect towards Durbe's resolve, his admiration and thankfulness and worry towards the Barian Knight's actions. His fear of losing him, not of losing a Barian, but of losing specifically him.

At that, Durbe's eyes opened and glazed gray met with Nasch's dual blue and red. It took a moment, but it was enough to get Durbe to stop reining in his feelings and relax in Nasch's hold, his every emotion open and true. He felt that Durbe had felt this way towards him for a long time, for as long as either of them could remember, and honestly? Nasch felt the same way too. Something drew them to each other, something raw and emotional and beyond their understanding but they were at peace with that. But neither had made the effort to do anything about it because of their statuses, Nasch as King and Durbe as his knight. (Something about the predicament felt vaguely familiar, but neither could put their finger on it.)

Upon feeling such an intense emotion flow through him, Durbe made a noise Nasch couldn't quite describe, but it didn't sound like he was in pain. For some reason, Nasch felt spurred on by the strangled sounding noise, his fingers on his free hand itching to touch Durbe's central gem, but he resisted, not wanting to take whatever they had just discovered too far, not in Durbe's weakened state, and not while Vector was still at large.

With one last wave of reassurance, and a last transfer of energy, Nasch reluctantly pulled away from Durbe, something akin to a whine escaping the wounded Barian. Both of them were breathing heavily, the sudden rush of another's emotions having been coursing through them being alot to bear. Knowing he needed to meet with the others as soon as possible, Nasch gently propped Durbe up against the wall, and rose to his feet, finishing his formation of the healing crystal.

Once it was fully formed, Nasch turned on his heel and once again picked up Durbe, who's breathing had begun to even out. "Nasch..."

"I'll come back for you." Nasch said, gently placing Durbe in the healing crystal. "After we deal with Vector, I'll come back for you. Otherwise I wouldn't be leaving your side."

"I know." Durbe's eyelids began to droop, the sedative properties of the healing crystal beginning to take their effect on him. "Please... be careful, Nasch."

Nasch's gaze softened, and he placed a hand on the crystal. "Of course, Durbe."

With that to assure him, Durbe allowed himself to be overcome with sleep, the healing crystal darkening to the point where only Durbe's outline and shadow could be seen. The healing process had begun.

Nasch lingered a moment, keeping his hand on the healing crystal a moment longer. He leaned his head forward, resting his forehead on the crystal and closing his eyes. Vector would pay for this, he promised silently. Vector would pay dearly.

With that, Nasch opened his eyes and stood back up, stepped back some so he could open a portal back to the surface and join the fight against Vector.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The 2019 Locus Award nominees: your guide to the best sf/f of 2018

Locus Magazine has published its annual Locus Award finalists, a shortlist of the best science fiction and fantasy of the past calendar year. I rely on this list to find the books I've overlooked (so. many. books.). This year's looks like a bumper crop.

Now that the finalists have been announced, Locus subscribers and others can cast their votes; the awards will be presented in Seattle during a weekend-long event that runs June 28-30, MC'ed by Connie Willis.

SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

Record of a Spaceborn Few, Becky Chambers (Harper Voyager US; Hodder & Stoughton)

The Calculating Stars, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)

If Tomorrow Comes, Nancy Kress (Tor)

Revenant Gun, Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris US; Solaris UK)

Blackfish City, Sam J. Miller (Ecco; Orbit UK)

Embers of War, Gareth L. Powell (Titan US; Titan UK)

Elysium Fire, Alastair Reynolds (Gollancz; Orbit US)

Red Moon, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit US; Orbit UK)

Unholy Land, Lavie Tidhar (Tachyon)

Space Opera, Catherynne M. Valente (Saga)

FANTASY NOVEL

Lies Sleeping, Ben Aaronovitch (DAW; Gollancz)

Foundryside, Robert Jackson Bennett (Crown; Jo Fletcher)

The Monster Baru Cormorant, Seth Dickinson (Tor)

Deep Roots, Ruthanna Emrys (Tor.com Publishing)

Ahab’s Return, Jeffrey Ford (Morrow)

European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman, Theodora Goss (Saga)

The Mere Wife, Maria Dahvana Headley (MCD)

The Wonder Engine, T. Kingfisher (Argyll Productions)

Spinning Silver, Naomi Novik (Del Rey; Macmillan)

Creatures of Want and Ruin, Molly Tanzer (John Joseph Adams)

HORROR NOVEL

In the Night Wood, Dale Bailey (John Joseph Adams)

Unlanguage, Michael Cisco (Eraserhead)

We Sold Our Souls, Grady Hendrix (Quirk)

Coyote Songs, Gabino Iglesias (Broken River)

The Hunger, Alma Katsu (Putnam; Bantam Press UK)

The Outsider, Stephen King (Scribner; Hodder & Stoughton)

The Listener, Robert McCammon (Cemetery Dance)

Cross Her Heart, Sarah Pinborough (HarperCollins UK/Morrow)

The Cabin at the End of the World, Paul Tremblay (Morrow; Titan UK)

Tide of Stone, Kaaron Warren (Omnium Gatherum)

YOUNG ADULT BOOK

The Gone Away Place, Christopher Barzak (Knopf)

The Cruel Prince, Holly Black (Little, Brown; Hot Key)

The Belles, Dhonielle Clayton (Freeform; Gollancz)

Tess of the Road, Rachel Hartman (Random House)

Dread Nation, Justina Ireland (Balzer + Bray)

Cross Fire, Fonda Lee (Scholastic)

The Agony House, Cherie Priest & Tara O’Connor (Levine)

Half-Witch, John Schoffstall (Big Mouth House)

Impostors, Scott Westerfeld (Scholastic US; Scholastic UK)

Mapping the Bones, Jane Yolen (Philomel)

FIRST NOVEL

Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeyemi (Henry Holt; Macmillan)

Semiosis, Sue Burke (Tor)

Armed in Her Fashion, Kate Heartfield (ChiZine)

The Poppy War, R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager US; Harper Voyager UK)

The Quantum Magician, Derek Künsken (Solaris US; Solaris UK)

Annex, Rich Larson (Orbit US)

Severance, Ling Ma (Farrar, Straus, Giroux)

Witchmark, C.L. Polk (Tor.com Publishing)

Trail of Lightning, Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga)

Empire of Sand, Tasha Suri (Orbit US; Orbit UK)

NOVELLA

The Black God’s Drums, P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com Publishing)

The Tea Master and the Detective, Aliette de Bodard (Subterranean)

“Umbernight“, Carolyn Ives Gilman (Clarkesworld 2/18)

Black Helicopters, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Tor.com Publishing)

Time Was, Ian McDonald (Tor.com Publishing)

Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach, Kelly Robson (Tor.com Publishing)

The Freeze-Frame Revolution, Peter Watts (Tachyon)

Artificial Condition, Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing)

Rogue Protocol, Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing)

The Descent of Monsters, JY Yang (Tor.com Publishing)

NOVELETTE

“The Donner Party”, Dale Bailey (F&SF 1–2/18)

“Okay, Glory”, Elizabeth Bear (Twelve Tomorrows)

“No Flight Without the Shatter“, Brooke Bolander (Tor.com 8/15/18)

The Only Harmless Great Thing, Brooke Bolander (Tor.com Publishing)

“The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections“, Tina Connolly (Tor.com 7/11/18)

“An Agent of Utopia”, Andy Duncan (An Agent of Utopia)

“Queen Lily“, Theodora Goss (Lightspeed 11/18)

“Nine Last Days on Planet Earth“, Daryl Gregory (Tor.com 9/19/18)

“Quality Time”, Ken Liu (Robots vs Fairies)

“How to Swallow the Moon“, Isabel Yap (Uncanny 11–12/18)

SHORT STORY

“The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington“, Phenderson Djèlí Clark (Fireside 2/18)

“The Bookcase Expedition”, Jeffrey Ford (Robots vs Fairies)

“STET“, Sarah Gailey (Fireside 10/18)

“A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies“, Alix E. Harrow (Apex 2/6/18)

“Cuisine des Mémoires”, N.K. Jemisin (How Long ’til Black Future Month?)

“The Storyteller’s Replacement”, N.K. Jemisin (How Long ’til Black Future Month?)

“Firelight“, Ursula K. Le Guin (Paris Review Summer ’18)

“The Starship and the Temple Cat“, Yoon Ha Lee (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 2/1/18)

“Mother of Invention“, Nnedi Okorafor (Future Tense)

“The Court Magician“, Sarah Pinsker (Lightspeed 1/18)

ANTHOLOGY

The Best Horror of the Year Volume Ten, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Night Shade)

The Book of Magic, Gardner Dozois, ed. (Bantam; Harper Voyager UK)

The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-fifth Annual Collection, Gardner Dozois, ed. (St. Martin’s Griffin)

Worlds Seen in Passing, Irene Gallo, ed. (Tor.com Publishing)

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018, N.K. Jemisin & John Joseph Adams, eds. (Mariner)

Robots vs Fairies, Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe, eds. (Saga)

The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of the Year, Volume Twelve, Jonathan Strahan, ed. (Solaris US; Solaris UK)

Infinity’s End, Jonathan Strahan, ed. (Solaris US; Solaris UK)

The Underwater Ballroom Society, Tiffany Trent & Stephanie Burgis, eds. (Five Fathoms)

The Future Is Female!, Lisa Yaszek, ed. (Library of America)

COLLECTION

The Tangled Lands, Paolo Bacigalupi & Tobias S. Buckell (Saga)

Brief Cases, Jim Butcher (Ace; Orbit UK)

An Agent of Utopia, Andy Duncan (Small Beer)

How Long ’til Black Future Month?, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)

The Dinosaur Tourist, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Subterranean)

Fire & Blood, George R.R. Martin (Bantam; Harper Voyager UK)

All the Fabulous Beasts, Priya Sharma (Undertow)

The Future Is Blue, Catherynne M. Valente (Subterranean)

Starlings, Jo Walton (Tachyon)

How to Fracture a Fairy Tale, Jane Yolen (Tachyon)

MAGAZINE

Analog

Asimov’s

Beneath Ceaseless Skies

Clarkesworld

F&SF

Fireside

Lightspeed

Strange Horizons

Tor.com

Uncanny

PUBLISHER

Angry Robot

Baen

DAW

Gollancz

Orbit

Saga

Small Beer

Subterranean

Tachyon

Tor

EDITOR

John Joseph Adams

Neil Clarke

Ellen Datlow

Gardner Dozois

C.C. Finlay

Jonathan Strahan

Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas

Ann & Jeff VanderMeer

Sheila Williams

Navah Wolfe

ARTIST

Kinuko Y. Craft

Galen Dara

Julie Dillon

Leo & Diane Dillon

Bob Eggleton

Victo Ngai

John Picacio

Shaun Tan

Charles Vess

Michael Whelan

NON-FICTION

Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece, Michael Benson (Simon & Schuster)

Sense of Wonder: Short Fiction Reviews (2009-2017), Gardner Dozois (ReAnimus)

Strange Stars, Jason Heller (Melville House)

Dreams Must Explain Themselves: The Selected Non-Fiction of Ursula K. Le Guin, Ursula K. Le Guin (Gollancz)

Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing, Ursula K. Le Guin & David Naimon (Tin House)

Old Futures: Speculative Fiction and Queer Possibility, Alexis Lothian (NYU Press)

Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth, Catherine McIlwaine, ed. (Bodleian Library)

Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction, Alec Nevala-Lee (Dey Street)

None of This Is Normal: The Fiction of Jeff VanderMeer, Benjamin J. Robertson (University of Minnesota Press)

An Informal History of the Hugos: A Personal Look Back at the Hugo Awards, 1953-2000, Jo Walton (Tor)

ART BOOK

Yoshitaka Amano, Yoshitaka Amano: The Illustrated Biography – Beyond the Fantasy, Florent Gorges (Les Éditions Pix’n Love 2015; Dark Horse)

Spectrum 25: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, John Fleskes, ed. (Flesk)

John Howe, A Middle-earth Traveler: Sketches from Bag End to Mordor (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; HarperCollins UK)

Jeffrey Alan Love, The Thousand Demon Tree (Flesk)

Simon Stålenhag, The Electric State (Fria Ligan ’17; Skybound)

Shaun Tan, Cicada (Lothian; Levine ’19)

Charles Vess, The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition, Ursula K. Le Guin (Saga)

Michael Whelan, Beyond Science Fiction: The Alternative Realism of Michael Whelan (Baby Tattoo)

Dungeons & Dragons Art and Arcana: A Visual History, Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Jon Peterson, & Sam Witwer (Ten Speed)

Lisbeth Zwerger, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, J.K. Rowling (Levine)

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